CW: Pet Loss

Cat is Mourning Other Cat - Sleeping Arrangements?

Our beloved cat, Chip, passed away very suddenly about 4 weeks ago. Our other cat, Lily, was his best friend. They cuddled together, played together, etc. for 4 years. Before we got Chip, Lily was a solo cat and was used to being by herself, but they became fast friends when we adopted him.

Since his passing, she has been very clingy and extra vocal. She cuddles blankets that smell like him, and needs a lot more snuggles, which we lovingly provide. She also wants to sleep with us every night.

When we had the 2 cats, my husband and I would sleep with the door closed so they could tumble around all night. Now, we let Lily sleep with us more, but we can't quite get a good nights rest with her in the bed - she likes to take up a lot of space :)

We bought a self warming, dome shaped cat bed and she seems to really love it and happily sleeps in it on the dresser next to our bed. We have tried to let her sleep by herself in it for many nights with our bedroom door closed, and it's worked with a few cries here and there that last no more than 5-10 minutes, but our preference would be to let her sleep in her dome in our room, next to our bed, where she is happiest.

Here is the real issue - my husband and I are going to be away for 5 days over Christmas, with our cat sitter visiting her frequently. However, we want Lily to feel confident that she can make it through the night by herself. Traveling with her is not an option as it really stresses her out.

To prepare her for our time away, is it better if we let her sleep outside of our room and meow a bit, or should we let her in the room with us? We just want to make sure she knows she can be by herself before we go, and we don't want to make it harder by having her get used to being with us every night. At the same time, we really want to give her the support, love, and comfort she needs.

We'd really appreciate your help.